Google Maps to Show Business Descriptions in Map View Soon

While there are tons of great Android apps out there in the Google Play Store, many of the more popular options are already installed on most people's Android devices. This includes Google Maps, which is easily one of the most-used Android apps by practically anyone and everyone. While apps like Lyft and Uber are great and help us get from A-to-B, they're not available everywhere, and one of the few options that gives people an idea of where they're going no matter where in the world you might be. While general mapping and navigation is what a lot of people use Google Maps for, it's also used by many as a way of looking up businesses, such as places to eat or the nearest coffee shop. This is getting a little easier from here on out.

As Google explains in their Asia Pacific Blog, Japanese Google Maps users are getting a simplified view of exactly what business does what. Now, users in Japan will be able to survey the map nearby a dropped pin or where they might be there and then and see descriptions of what a business actually is right from the map. Previously, a user would have to click on a listing for "Lawson" to see that this is a longstanding chain of convenience stores in Japan. Now however, Google will be listing over a thousand different business types under their names right on the map view, which should not only speed things up for users, but make it easier to explore the area around them. After all, it's quicker to see what a business or place is right away, than having to look at reviews or worse, Google the name to find out what it might be.

Right now, this is rolling out to Japanese Google Maps users, but the blog post detailed the change to coming to more languages than just Japanese. These include Arabic, Basque, Bulgarian, Catalan, Dutch, English, French, Galician, German, Greek, Hindi, Hungarian, Italian, Korean, Polish, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish and Thai. Just when these other languages will see this new feature go live is anyone's guess, but it shouldn't be too far away given that it's already up and working in Japan, and the fact that Google is no stranger to translating content from one language to another.

For years now I've had a heavy interest in technology, growing up with 8-bit computers and gaming consoles has fed into an addiction to everything that beeps. Android saved me from the boredom of iOS years ago and I love watching the platform grow. As an avid reader and writer nothing pleases me more than to write about the exciting world of Android, Google and mobile technology as a whole.